Masquerade
by tsukeruu
Summary: Post DOTM. The US Government had given Optimus Prime and the other Autobots an ultimatum: to leave Earth or to no longer be the Autobots. Prime and the others couldn't leave their new home just yet. How will they adapt to their new life?
1. Prologue

**Prologue **

_Present day._

Earth. It was one of the youngest planets among the many in the known universe. It was home to many creatures, including the human race; still a young and primitive species, yet remarkably adaptable. Earth was filled with fresh resources – resources which had previously interested the Transformers in this planet.

After their home planet, Cybertron, had been engulfed in warfare, the Transformers, as humans referred to them, had sought refuge on Earth. Originally, the Autobots had come to Earth in search of an artifact called the Allspark, an alien relic able to create life within electrical and mechanical devices. The only source of life for them, without it the Transformers' race would cease to exist. The Autobots were losing this war, only a few now remaining on Earth. But with the Allspark, they had a chance to end the feud. Optimus Prime and the other Autobots were devoted to protecting the Earth and the human race from their long-time rivals, the Decepticons.

At Mission City, the Allspark had met its fate. Samuel Witwicky had destroyed the Allspark, but he had killed Megatron in the process. The Autobots had highly underestimated the human race. Living with the members of N.E.S.T. as equals, they had worked for over two years as a team before Megatron had returned. And this time, Megatron had taken the life of their beloved leader – Optimus Prime.

Sam had managed to revive Optimus, the only one capable of defeating the Fallen, with the Matrix of Leadership in Egypt. With the Fallen determined to activate the Sun Harvester, destroying Earth in the process, the battle was intense. Many comrades had fallen, including Sam, but through sheer will and the power of the ancient Primes, he had returned to help the Autobots save the Earth and Optimus. This was not the last time that Samuel Witwicky would come to the Autobots' aid.

During the Battle of Chicago, Sam had helped saved the Earth for a third time. Sentinel Prime had betrayed the trust of his fellow 'bots to side with the Decepticons. In this fight several great warriors, including Ironhide, had been lost. Sam had helped to destroy the space bridge before the Decepticons were able to bring Cybertron to Earth, and the Autobots' home was destroyed right in front of their eyes. Starscream and Megatron were brought down, and Optimus had executed Sentinel for his treachery.

Humans around the world were left devastated following the battle. Many lives were lost. Chicago was destroyed. Despite their help, the American Government had declared the Autobots a threat to society. The Government had given the Autobots an ultimatum: to leave Earth for good or stay, hidden and secret, with no more involvement with either the Government or N.E.S.T.

It had taken Optimus Prime a long time to decide what to do. As leader, Prime had found that it was getting harder and harder to make the right choices for him and his team. They had always been so loyal to him. The Autobots remained strong, but they were few in numbers. The others had protested against his judgment at first, but Earth was their home, as much as it was for the humans. He had decided that no matter what, even without the respect of the human race, they would remain on Earth, protecting it and its inhabitants from any hostile beings.

With Ratchet's help, Prime had devised a plan. They would have to camouflage themselves, but this was a difficult task to achieve. They would need to be undetectable by both humans and Decepticons. They already had holographic forms, but Ratchet was able to come up with solid versions of these forms. Now they faced the challenge of learning to live as humans.

No-one outside the few selected people within the Government could know of the plan. There was always the risk of the Decepticons coming back. Many hid on Earth in the shadows and they all, human and Autobot, knew this. They separated the Autobots amongst the few elite in order to be sure that there would not be trouble.

Major General William Lennox (who had recently been promoted after the Battle of Chicago), was watching over Optimus Prime and Ratchet.. Next up was the ex-N.E.S.T. member, Robert Epps. He was in charge of keeping watch over Sideswipe and Mirage. Then there was General Morshower. He was in charge of the Wreckers: Topspin, Roadbuster, and Leadfoot. No one knew how to handle these assholes but the General himself.

The Government was unsure what to do about Wheelie and Brains. They proved themselves to be useful in the Battle of Chicago, but Sam had agreed not to take them in again after he had become engaged to Carly, for her sake. Carly had never been fond of them or the other Autobots and it had been hard enough to convince her to let them take care of Bumblebee. Sam could not disappoint Bumblebee, though; they shared a special friendship.

Seymour Simmons had been convinced by the government to take the two Autobots under his watch, Wheelie and Brains. He was familiar with the alien race. After his years in Sector 7 he was able to handle anything (or so he thought). He knew it would be a challenge, but it was his chance to prove to his beloved Government that this was why they needed military divisions like his previous employer.

The other few Autobots that were left such as Arcee, Chromia and the twins had remained under care of other N.E.S.T. members.

Once N.E.S.T. had been deactivated, the Autobots had said their goodbyes to one another. It was hard for all of them, especially Optimus Prime. He had always loved his fellow 'bots as if they were family. And to him, they were. They were all what he had left of Cybertron. He loved each one for who and what they were. It would be hard to adjust to not seeing them every day. But for everyone's safety, he knew that this was the right choice. He could not bear to lose another comrade. Even if the war had been paused due to the passing of Megatron and Starscream, deep down inside Optimus knew somewhere or somehow the Decepticons were planning something. It had been at least six months since they had seen or heard of any Decepticon activity. But those days were over. The Autobots were no longer warriors, but human beings.

It would take the Autobots a long time to adjust to their new lives. They had to learn the simplest human tasks. At times, it almost felt like the Autobots were infants. They had to learn a lot in such a short time – the basics: proper grooming, table manners, doing chores - before being place under the care of their human guardians. But they had to be sure that they are capable of adapting to their new bodies. They had to deceive humans that worked and lived near them, but they had to deceive their enemies as well – for everyone's protection. Earth could not bear another full-fledged alien war.

Barricade frowned internally as he approached the Decepticons' hidden base in Canada. It was hidden away in the mountains, concealing their source of Energon from anyone or anything that may be able to detect it. It was too far north. The few remaining Decepticons on Earth remained hidden. Barricade knew that he had to take charge following the demise of their master. They had fled the scene before Prime's attack.

The officer looked down at his tiny companion, Igor, before he transformed. Barricade cursed. He still could not figure out how the Autobots just seemed to drop off the radar. It was almost as though they had vanished from Earth. He knew that couldn't be true; the Autobots had nowhere else to hide.

He reached over and punched a nearby cliff wall. He cursed once again, closing his eyes. He missed his master. "How is the experiment proceeding?" he asked, looking over at the tiny wretch. He knew with how spread out the Decepticons were on this planet. It would be difficult without Soundwave to contact them. He was determined to bring Megatron back. Without him, the Decepticons would be a mess.

Igor slowly hopped over to the other. "It's going well, Barricade," he smirked in response. "We only need Energon to bring back our beloved master and our fellow Decepticons. Then we can continue with the experiment."

Energon was hard to find on Earth. The Decepticons had hidden Energon here for generations. Barricade knew, though, that only the commanding officers had known where these deposits were hidden. He needed the help of Soundwave and the others to find these deposits, but it was difficult to do on his own. He did not have the tools or resources. Igor was the only other Decepticon that had come with him to Canada for refuge.

Barricade knew that he had to bring his master back soon. Megatron was the only one who could lead the Decepticons. No matter how many times Starscream tried, they did not take orders well from anyone else, and Barricade knew that Megatron was the only one who was strong enough to go up against Prime.

"We must hurry," Barricade hissed at the small Decepticon. "Without our brothers, we are in a vulnerable state. We must bring back our master as soon as possible and continue with our plans. Prime and the Autobots must die. Otherwise, our kind will die."

Igor just glanced up at the taller 'con, smirking in response. "Yes, yes...to have Master back, will be a great pleasure to watch the Autobots die at his hands again."

Barricade just looked over at the remains of Megatron's body. He moved over to his master's detached hand, gripping it as he looked up at the sky.


	2. Mission One: Optimus Prime

**Mission One: Optimus Prime**

_Lieutenant General William Lennox's apartment.  
>Washington D.C., United States of America.<em>

At the first crack of daybreak, the sun glimmered across the city. The rays of light danced upon the skyscrapers and monuments that had attracted millions to this city over time. As the city slowly rose from the previous night's slumber, birds began to chirp in the faint distance. The clamorous cries of the roaring motors filled the streets. Sirens and car horns sounded and angry drivers grew frustrated as the traffic backed up on the interstates in the morning commute. A horde of people swarmed along the streets of Washington D.C. as they started their day. People mostly kept to themselves as they made their way to wherever they needed to be and what they needed to get done.

In this busy city, though, the remaining Autobots that lived on Earth were hidden among the general public, no longer disguised as cars, but as human beings. As demanded by the United States Government (due to the present fear and threat of Decepticons living on Earth), the Autobots were forbidden to transform into their mech or vehicle modes. Optimus knew that if they wanted to continue to live on Earth, their new home, they would have to abide by Earth's laws, customs and ways. It was not an easy task for any Autobot. They were not accustomed to the way humans behaved or lived on a daily basis. Thus, the Autobots found themselves separated and living among humans whom they had trusted and befriended during their work in ex-N.E.S.T. operations.

Optimus Prime just stood in the bathroom, staring at the mirror. Every morning, he found it difficult to wake up in this form; that of a human. He still was not used to seeing his human self. He reached up with his human, fleshy-pink hands. It had become his habit to study his features in the morning, as he got ready for the day ahead of him. He blinked his bright, blue eyes several times before he splashed his face with some water. He reached over for the white towel that was hanging up on the rack on his left side. He patted his face, before staring into the mirror again.

Prime had emerged a dashing, middle-aged man in his human form. His face was rather rugged. His skin tone was on the warm side. He had a defined double-chin. At full height, Optimus stood roughly around six feet and six inches tall. He was the tallest of the Autobots, even in human form. As Prime continued to gaze into the mirror, he still could not get over the fact of how striking his blue eyes were. The gentle yet aged eyes had seen so much over his life cycle. Even if they were as piercing as a calm, tropical ocean, they had subdued over the centuries. They were rather wide-set. Prime had a long, narrow nose, yet full, dark nude-colored lips. His slicked-back, gelled brunette hair had a messy feel to it. His sideburns were trimmed neatly. Overall, it was taking Optimus a long time to accept this form.

He let out a heavy sigh, another action that they were not used to in these forms. Transformers did not need to breathe like humans. He had managed to pick up some bad habits from his roommates, like those of the Lieutenant General William Lennox. He reached over and placed the towel back on the rack. He glanced once up at the mirror. He blinked a few times, before he shook his head slightly. He moved out of the lavatory and walked down the small, narrow hallway. He was grateful that he was staying with the Lieutenant General. Lennox had been a close, personal friend of the Autobots for the many years that they had worked with him as part of N.E.S.T. It had helped greatly with adjusting to their new lives on Earth.

As the hallway ended, it opened up into a large room. Optimus looked around the room, finding it odd that neither Lennox or Ratchet were around. He tilted his head to look up at the clock that was to the right of him. It was still rather early, yet Lennox was usually a morning person. It was only six in the morning. Optimus had learned that even in this human form, he did not need a long time to refuel during the night like Lennox or other humans. Most Transformers were the same, even Ratchet. Though that old 'bot was probably off somewhere in his room working on a new invention or project. Ratchet was always preoccupied. Prime presumed that Lennox was still sleeping. He normally did not go to his office until about eight o'clock, or so he had observed over the last several months of living within this apartment.

The Autobot leader wanted to pull his weight around the household while he and Ratchet lived with the Lieutenant General. It was only proper to do so. He was learning and adapting to his new environment pretty well, or so he assumed. He had always been interested in learning new human tasks every day. He had learned some basic chores around the house while Lennox was at work, mostly from watching the television and studying. He also used the world wide web every day to continue to gain knowledge on becoming more human each day. It was a good way to waste the day away, since he did not have a normal job. It was hard to accept, but the days of the Transformers looked like they could be officially over.

He moved into the kitchen and began to look through the fridge. He was glancing around at what there may be available to make breakfast. Lennox did not always get a hearty meal these days. The Lieutenant General did not get home until late, usually around six-thirty or seven in the evening. He knew that his roommate was working hard and he wanted to help to make things easier for him. It was the least he could do for letting him stay here. Lennox was truly one of the closest friends that he had made here on Earth. Prime would do anything to repay Lennox for all of this, even if it took a life time to do so.

Over the past week, Optimus had decided to take up the skill of cooking. He had stumbled upon a food channel on the television and he had been watching it most of the time while Lennox was gone. It preoccupied him during the day. It was something that was not coming easily to him, though. He had taken some eggs from the refrigerator and was going to give scrambled eggs another shot. Yesterday, it did not go so well.

He also brought out the toaster and grabbed some white bread. Prime was kind of happy that he had mastered toasting this week. It was by far the easiest thing he had come across that he could cook or bake. He began to make several pieces of toast as he attempted to crack eggs again. Yesterday's eggs ended up being inedible because of all the shell pieces that were in them. Today he wanted to improve on this.

Prime carefully reached down, tapping the egg on the side of the glass bowl. He was able to get a good broken spot on the eggshell where he could crack it open. He cracked it open over the bowl, and a smile grew upon his face. No shells had ended up in the yolk yet. After he had cracked all the eggs he needed, he lifted the bowl up into the crook of his arm and began to beat the eggs. He was glad he had put on the "Kiss-the-cook" apron that Will had lying around the kitchen. He always managed to make a huge mess.

The Autobot leader had turned on the stove top. He adjusted the flame and placed the round cooking pan on the stove top, before he poured the liquid eggs into the pan. He carefully watched and studied the way they were cooking. He focused all of his concentration onto making these eggs one hundred percent perfect today. When he had attempted to cook eggs in the past, they had always ended up pretty burnt and he was determined to get them right.

William Lennox had slowly awoken from the aroma that had permeated throughout the apartment. He raised an eyebrow, before realizing that he was not the one that was cooking. His face turned a bit pale and he stumbled to put on his slippers and throw on his robe. He ran down the hallway and his eyes widened. "Optimus!" he cried out, seeing that within an instant, his stove was on fire.

Optimus was startled at William's cry. He had quickly reached for the pan's handle with his bare hands, forgetting that he needed an oven mitt. He yelped in pain as he moved his hand away quickly. The pan fell onto the floor. The fire quickly rose and hissed as it spread across the stove top. Prime stumbled backwards, leaning against the cabinet and feeling the stinging sensation of the burn.

Lennox knew he had to act fast. He was a solider first; a citizen second. He was trained to handle emergency situations like such, even when they happened in his own apartment. He reached under a cabinet for the fire extinguisher. He sighed heavily, before he pulled out the pin and attacked the fire. He had to get the flames under control. He set off the fire extinguisher, letting the mixture settle upon the stove before the flames disappeared.

The Lieutenant General set the fire extinguisher down on the ground. He quickly moved over to Optimus to make sure he was alright. He examined his hand, before raising an eyebrow. "We have to get your hand under cold water, now," he instructed the other. Lennox quickly turned on the cold water and pulled Optimus over to the sink, placing his hand under the water.

Optimus winced slightly from the sensation. He had not felt an injury as a human being before. He had gotten shot at by bullets or dark energon. That pain was nothing new. He'd had parts ripped off his body in an instant, yet this felt a hundred times worse then those old battle injuries. "Watch it...Lennox...that hurts!" Optimus whined.

Will just sighed heavily, before taking the hand away from the cold water. He turned off the faucet and reached over to grab the dish towel. He wrapped the towel around Optimus' hand gently. "Optimus, you need to be careful," he said softly. He leaned against the counter, looking up at him. "You are not an Autobot any more."

Prime stared down at Lennox for a long moment. The Lieutenant General was right. He was not an Autobot anymore, but a human. "I'm sorry," he said. He lowered his head, looking away. He was starting to hate this form.

Lennox smiled weakly. "Besides, I thought I told you to stay away from the stove when I wasn't supervising you," he teased the other. "You nearly burnt down my kitchen this morning. Why are you so determined to learn how to cook?"

Optimus shifted his weight to his right leg. "I thought I could be helpful if I learned how to cook," he replied, before he leaned against the refrigerator. "You have been so helpful to Ratchet and myself; I thought this way you would have some decent meals. But it looks like, I can't even cook you something simple..."

Will just glanced up at the Autobot leader, before he reached over to remove the towel. He sighed in relief as he saw that the hand was not as badly burnt as he had thought. "We're going to have to put some burn cream and gauze on your hand for a few days," he told him. He led Optimus back into the bathroom, pulling out the first aid kit from underneath the sink. "I appreciate that you want to help, Optimus, but you need to take things slow. Being human takes time to get used to. If you want to continue to learn how to cook, please let me be there to supervise in the future. I can help you with that. I may not know a whole lot about cooking, but I know how to not set my kitchen on fire."

Prime sat down on the closed toilet seat. He looked up at the man, smiling. "I promise, Will."

The Lieutenant General took out some of the burn cream and gently massaged it into Optimus' hands. They were pretty smooth, not rough like his own. He looked down into the Autobot's blue eyes. He had to admit that Optimus was a handsome looking man. "I just don't want anything to happen to you or Ratchet," he said softly. He was responsible for these two Autobots. They were not just any Autobots, either; they were his best friends. Especially after the loss of Ironhide, he knew he could not lose any other friends of his. He still mourned greatly for the lost of his friend. He did not have many close friends like that these days.

Optimus tilted his head, looking up at the man. A soft faint touch of red filled his cheeks. He was a bit flattered that Lennox felt this way. He lowered his gaze to the tiled floor.

The other had began to wrap up Optimus' hand with some gauze tape. He made sure it was on there pretty securely. He stepped back a few feet. "Just make sure not to use that hand as much as you would normally, until it heals. It should heal within a few days, if we take care of it properly," he explained.

Prime stood up, looking up at him. "I feel horrible...I burnt your breakfast and it's all over the kitchen floor." His eyes drifted downwards to avoid eye contact.

Lennox shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I usually just have a cup of coffee and some fruit on the way to the office. But I need to take a shower before work, so if you would...?" he said, moving over to push Optimus out of the bathroom.

Optimus just stood at the door after the Lieutenant General had closed it. He sighed heavily, shaking his head. He made his way back into the kitchen to clean up his mess. He will have to learn a whole lot more before he attempted cooking again. He just knew that he was done with cooking eggs for a while. Living this kind of life was more difficult then Optimus Prime had ever imagine.

Author's Notes:

1. First off, I found this chapter a little difficult to type. I did not realize how difficult it would be to take a Transformer and turn them into human into a form that you can visualize. I took different elements of the Transformers universes I am familiar with to combine your favorite characters into humans as I see them. I hope they are to your liking. This fic may take a while to complete because I plan on taking each main Transformer that I've mentioned in the prologue and writing at least one chapter dedicated to the way they adjust to their human lives and the people around them.

2. For those that are wondering, I choose Prime to be six foot, six inches (or 198.5 centimeters for those that don't use feet/inches) because I know that he is one of the tallest Transformers overall. I think Megatron is the only one that I know the height of and he's hitting 34 foot tall. I had researched it that Prime stands between 22 – 28 foot tall, depending on where you get your facts from. This was the second hardest thing to decide on with my human! Transformers.

3. Also, I am a firm believer that Lennox's wife, Sarah, had divorced/left him between Return of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon.

4. There is really no order to of how I decided to choose which Autobot in which chapter. I only choose to do Optimus first, since it was most fitting since he is the leader after all.

Edit (September 24, 2011):

I had revised a few things taken from your pms, comments, and reviews. Thank you so much for helping me along with this. I will be starting chapter two this week. There will be no gurauntees that it will be up and live before October. But I will try.

Author's Notes:

First off, I found this chapter a little difficult to type. I did not realize how difficult it would be to take a Transformer and turn them into human into a form that you can visualize. I took different elements of the Transformers universes I am familiar with to combine your favorite characters into humans as I see them. I hope they are to your liking. This fic may take a while to complete because I plan on taking each main Transformer that I've mentioned in the prologue and writing at least one chapter dedicated to the way they adjust to their human lives and the people around them.

For those that are wondering, I choose Prime to be six foot, six inches (or 198.5 centimeters for those that don't use feet/inches) because I know that he is one of the tallest Transformers overall. I think Megatron is the only one that I know the height of and he's hitting 34 foot tall. I had researched it that Prime stands between 22 – 28 foot tall, depending on where you get your facts from. This was the second hardest thing to decide on with my human! Transformers.

Also, I am a firm believer that Lennox's wife, Sarah, had divorced/left him between Return of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon. This is one reason why I have Optimus and Ratchet living with him.

There is really no order to of how I decided to choose which Autobot in which chapter. I only choose to do Optimus first, since it was most fitting since he is the leader after all.


End file.
